Remembering Harvey Milk

Jim Sanders, Vice Chair of the Socialist Party USA, and chair of the SPUSA Queer Commission has a great tribute to Harvey Milk on the SPUSA's Socialist Webzine

Here's a YouTube link to view the excellent documentary The Times of Harvey Milk


Harvey Milk

Socialist Party USA: No to Obama-Care! Democratic Healthcare Plan is a Turkey

The Socialist Party USA says NO OBAMA-CARE
While most liberals and progressives seem to be falling in line to support the watered-down Democratic healthcare "insurance reform" bills, the Socialist Party makes the case that socialists cannot support them. Obama and the Democrats have failed to deliver universal healthcare to every American. They caved in to the insurance lobby and rejected a single-payer national public health insurance plan and gave too much to the insurance and drug industry, at the expense of universal healthcare for all. The Democratic health insurance reform is a turkey!

The Socialist Party USA supports a national single-payer insurance plan and socialized medicine. The only way to bring down skyrocketing healthcare costs is to replace for-profit healthcare with socialized medicine.

Socialist Party USA Campaign for Socialized Healthcare

The Democratic health insurance reform is also rejected by Physicians for a National Health Program, which only supports a single-payer national insurance.

Single Payer Activists: Defeat Democratic Healthcare Bill

A Year of Obama

After one year in office, Obama has failed to deliver on Change or Hope. He has failed to deliver on gay rights, health care, Iraq, Afghanistan, and most of all, the economy and jobs. On each issue, Obama has made the WRONG choices. As a result of the failures of the Democratic Party to take on capitalism, Wall Street, insurance companies, etc. there is a growing right-wing populist movement which threatens not only the political future of Obama and the Democrats, but may move the country further to the RIGHT.

Alexander Cockburn summarizes: A Year of Obama
Change Wall Street Can Believe In
The Audacity of Failure: The Four Year Presidency of Barack Hoover Obama
Double-Digit Unemployment Oama's No.1 Challenge
Broad Measure of U.S. Unemployment at 17%
Krugman: Obama Faces His Anzio
Laura Flanders: No Armistice on War on The Poor

One this for sure, capitalism is in a serious crisis which neither Obama nor the Democratic Party has any plans or hopes of stopping.

The Problem with "Positive Thinking"

In her new book, "Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America," DSA Co-chair Barbara Ehrenreich exposes the dark side of "positive thinking":
"If you want to have a compliant populace, what could be better than to say that everyone has to think positively and accept that anything that goes wrong in their lives is their own fault?"

In These Times Interview: The Dark Side of the Bright Side

Barbara's Blog: How Positive Thinking Wrecked the Economy

Study Says Stop Positive Thinking!

Russell Bishop: Positive Thinking Does Not Work!

Democrats Give Up Single-Payer Universal Healthcare

The few remaining Democrats who were pushing for at least a vote on "single-payer" (Medicare for All) universal health insurance have given up and called off votes on their amendments:

Rep. Weiner Gives Up Single-Payer Amendment to Back House Party Leaders

Dennis Kucinich and John Conyers: Time is Not Right for Vote on Single-Payer

The House of Representatives is expected to pass a healthcare bill today which will include a weak "public option" which will only cover about 2% of the American people. While it may increase healthcare insurance to millions more, it also includes big give-a-ways to the insurance and drug companies. So I'm not sure that Socialists, and those who support REAL universal healthcare, should support it or not. It certainly NOT guarantee healthcare to all Americans.

Socialists must step up our attack on the "for-profit" healthcare industry and keep making the case for Medicare For All, or even better, socialized medicine. It may be a long fight, but the current capitalist system, especially when it comes to healthcare, is in crisis and will not stand. It is up to us to fight for a better future, and universal healthcare that is not rationed based on ability to pay and does not enrich a few at the expense of the many.

UPDATE: U.S. House Passes Watered-Down Healthcare Bill (220-215)

Dennis Kucinich: Why I voted NO

SPUSA Response to Nov. 3 LGBT Referendum

Response to the November 3, 2009 LGBTQ Referendum Results
by Jim Sanders, Chair SPUSA Queer Commission

Referendums effecting the lives of LGBTQ people were on ballots all over the country this week. A few
of the higher profiled ballot questions included:

Voters in Maine overturned by approximately 53 to 47 percent, a law passed by the Maine legislature that established same-sex marriages in order to end marriage inequality in Maine. The failure to attain marriage equality in Maine is particularly disheartening, but the fact that 47 percent of the voters in Maine supported marriage equality is significant.

Voters in Washington approved by a scant margin of approximately 51 to 49 percent, a law that would give
domestic partners some of the legal rights previously only available to married couples (only heterosexuals can marry in Washington state). The fact that 49 percent of the voters in Washington would oppose recognition of domestic partnerships is troubling.

Voters in Kalamazoo, Michigan approved by approximately 65 to 35 percent, an ordinance that grants
anti-discrimination protections to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals. The rare inclusion of transgender individuals is cause for celebration.

Jim Crow style localized oppression is no more acceptable for queers than for any other group. It's a shame
that human rights can still be held hostage to human prejudices.

Socialists will always fight beside those struggling to improve conditions in their daily lives. But, under the oppression of a capitalist system, reforms will always be necessary, and they will never be sufficient. Socialists need to constantly make clear that we fight for the power to create and maintain justice in our own lives, and not for fleeting opportunities to occasionally wrest concessions from the state.

Lasting freedom for LGBTQ people will only come about in a society concerned with, and conscientiously
working for, the liberation of all people.

Historic Vote on Healthcare

From DSA:

The U.S. House of Representatives, if they stick to their schedule, will begin to debate its health care reform bill (H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act) tomorrow evening, Friday. Nov. 6th and continue into the next day, culminating in a vote by Sat. evening Nov. 7th.This will be a truly historic occasion: the first time ever that the House has conducted a floor debate and vote on major health reform legislation moving toward universal health care. It will certainly be the first piece of new major health care legislation since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, and the State Child Health Insurance Program in 1996.
 
The bill is, without a doubt, much less than most of us hoped for. But the debate, and ultimately the vote, is critically important. Among other things we will see the first ever House debate and vote on a proposed single-payer national health insurance program, to be introduced by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D, Brooklyn-Queens). The vote on the Weiner Amendment is currently expected to take place on Fri. evening or Sat. morning. A strong vote in favor of single payer is very important. 
 
Calls to your representative urging them to support the Weiner Amendment and more importantly urging them to support a real debate on the Weiner Amendment are still valuable. We know that fixing health care will still be a top priority after this vote. The better the Weiner amendment does, the stronger are our chances to ultimately prevail; and of more immediate importance, the larger the vote for the Weiner Amendment, the bigger the backbone we are likely to see from the House Leadership in resisting Senate efforts to weaken the bill further.

 
On November 6 call your representative  to ask that they  support a real debate on the Weiner Amendment to HR 3962, and that they  vote for the amendment. Simply call the Congressional switchboard (202-224-3121) and ask to be connected to your representative's office.

See Also:
Healthcare Now!
Physicians for National Healthcare Program